Niger - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Niger. Landlocked; one of the hottest countries in the world; northern four-fifths is desert, southern one-fifth is savanna, suitable for livestock and limited agriculture. Mother's mean age at first birth is 18.5 years (2012 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 20-49), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 441 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Niger
Location Western Africa, southeast of Algeria
Geographic coordinates 16 00 N, 8 00 E
Map references Africa
Tarrain predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south; hills in north
Natural Resources uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, molybdenum, gypsum, salt, petroleum
Natural Hazards recurring droughts
Irrigated Land 2,666 sq km (2020)
Major rivers (by length in km) Niger (shared with Guinea [s], Mali, Benin, and Nigeria [m]) - 4,200 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major aquifers Lake Chad Basin, Lullemeden-Irhazer Basin, Murzuk-Djado Basin
Land Boundaries 5,834 km
Border Countries Algeria 951 km; Benin 277 km; Burkina Faso 622 km; Chad 1,196 km; Libya 342 km; Mali 838 km; Nigeria 1,608 km
Coastline 0 km (landlocked)
Climate desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south
Area
Total Area
Land Area 1,266,700 sq km
Water Area 300 sq km
comparative Area slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Maritime Claims
Elevations
Highest point Idoukal-n-Taghes 2,022 m
Lowest point Niger River 200 m
Mean elevation 474 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 35.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 12.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 22.7% (2018 est.)
Forest 1% (2018 est.)
Other 63.9% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

Majority of the populace is located in the southernmost extreme of the country along the border with Nigeria and Benin as shown in this population distribution map

People and Society

In Niger, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Hausa 53.1%, Zarma/Songhai 21.2%, Tuareg 11%, Fulani (Peuhl) 6.5%, Kanuri 5.9%, Gurma 0.8%, Arab 0.4%, Tubu 0.4%, other/unavailable 0.9% (2006 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate 3.66% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 46.6 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 9.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 6.2% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 0.4 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Total fertility rate 6.64 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 3.27 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 11% (2021)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 80.3% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 3.8% of GDP (2020 est.)
Net Migration rate -0.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Nigerien | Nigerien(s)
Languages Hausa, Zarma, French (official), Fufulde, Tamashek, Kanuri, Gurmancema, Tagdal
Religions Muslim 95.5%, ethnic religionist 4.1%, Christian 0.3%, agnostics and other 0.1% (2020 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 49.5% (male 6,567,460/female 6,463,877)
15-64 years 47.8% (male 6,146,355/female 6,451,574)
65 years and over 2.7% (2024 est.) (male 342,388/female 371,130)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 105.4
Youth dependency ratio 100.4
Elderly dependency ratio 5
Potential support ratio 20.1 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 15.2 years (2024 est.)
Male 14.9 years
Female 15.6 years
Urbanization
Urban population 17.1% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 4.72% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 1.437 million NIAMEY (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.92 male(s)/female
Total population 0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 64.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 69.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 59.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 60.9 years (2024 est.)
Male 59.3 years
Female 62.5 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 95.8% of population
Improved: rural rural: 63.1% of population
Improved: total total: 68.6% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 4.2% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 36.9% of population
Unimproved: total total: 31.4% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 81.9% of population
Improved: rural rural: 13.5% of population
Improved: total total: 24.8% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 18.1% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 86.5% of population
Unimproved: total total: 75.2% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 0.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0.06 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 7.4% (2020 est.)
Male 13.7% (2020 est.)
Female 1.1% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile

Niger has the highest total fertility rate (TFR) of any country in the world, averaging close to 7 children per woman in 2022. A slight decline in fertility over the last few decades has stalled. This leveling off of the high fertility rate is in large part a product of the continued desire for large families. In Niger, the TFR is lower than the desired fertility rate, which makes it unlikely that contraceptive use will increase. The high TFR sustains rapid population growth and a large youth population – almost 70% of the populace is under the age of 25, as of 2020. Gender inequality, including a lack of educational opportunities for women and early marriage and childbirth, also contributes to high population growth.

Because of large family sizes, children are inheriting smaller and smaller parcels of land. The dependence of most Nigeriens on subsistence farming on increasingly small landholdings, coupled with declining rainfall and the resultant shrinkage of arable land, are all preventing food production from keeping up with population growth.

For more than half a century, Niger's lack of economic development has led to steady net outmigration. In the 1960s, Nigeriens mainly migrated to coastal West African countries to work on a seasonal basis. Some headed to Libya and Algeria in the 1970s to work in the booming oil industry until its decline in the 1980s. Since the 1990s, the principal destinations for Nigerien labor migrants have been West African countries, especially Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire, while emigration to Europe and North America has remained modest. During the same period, Niger’s desert trade route town Agadez became a hub for West African and other Sub-Saharan migrants crossing the Sahara to North Africa and sometimes onward to Europe.

More than 60,000 Malian refugees have fled to Niger since violence between Malian government troops and armed rebels began in early 2012. Ongoing attacks by the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency, dating to 2013 in northern Nigeria and February 2015 in southeastern Niger, pushed tens of thousands of Nigerian refugees and Nigerien returnees across the border to Niger and displaced thousands of locals in Niger’s already impoverished Diffa region.

All Important Facts about Niger

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Niger is found in Western Africa